James y



Patented Mar. 28, I899. J. Y. PAYTON.

FISH HOOK. (Application filed July 7, 1898) (No Model.)

/A/ VENTOR A TTORNE).

WITNESSES.

m2 NORRIS vsrzns co.. momumm WASHINGTON, n. c,

JAMES Y. PAYTON, OF \VALDRON, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO l-IUBERT J. HALL, OF SAME PLACE.

FISH-HOOK.-

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,069, dated March 28, 1899.

Application filed July 7, 1898. Serial No. 685,334. (l lo model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern-.- D represents a piece of soft wire whose cen- Be it known that I, JAMES Y. PAYTON, of tral part is coiled tightly one or more times Waldron, in the county of Scott and State of around the central part of hooks B and the Arkansas, have invented a new and useful intervening barO,thus forminga rigid clamp, 5 Improvement in Fish-Hooks, of which the folbinding them firmly together. The free ends lowing is a specification. of the wires D are brought together below, My invention is an improvement in the twisted on themselves, (extending downward, class of automatic spring-hooks which are as shown in Fig. 2,) and attached to a metal adapted to suddenly close and catch the fish ball E. This ball sustains the hooks in a 10 when the latter seizes the bait. horizontal position'and also serves asa sinker. The chief characteristic of myinvention is F represents the line attached to the clamp. the connection and arrangement of bait-hooks The hook is easily set by taking hold of the and auxiliary or grab-hooks in such manner bait-hooks A at the bends a and pulling latthat by setting the former in a certain posiorally, so as to separate these points until r 5 tion they hold the grab hooks distended and the bait-hooks are made to abut against each under tension, so that the latter are ready to other, as shown. They are thus on a line of close upon and pierce the head of the fish unstable equilibrium, as is evident by supwhen the bait is tampered with. In other posing the abutting hooks A to be pressed a words, the two pairs of hooks are held when little too far inward, so as to project back- 20 set in unstable equilibrium, which may be ward. This backward projection, however, destroyed by traction of a fish on one or both is prevented by the central piece 0, on which of the bait-hooks. the hooks rest lightly. Having a quarter- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is twist, this central piece 0 presents a forward a plan view of myimproved fish-hook, showslope, thus facilitating the forward while of- 25 ing the same (in full lines) as set for use. fering resistance to a backward projection of Fig. 2 is a detail section of the same. the abutting hooks A.

p The two bait-hooks A and two grab-hooks The set of the hooks A holds the grab- B lie practicallyin the same horizontal plane, hooks B distended, as shown by full lines. and when the hook is set, as shown by full Tripping is accomplished by breaking the 80 30 lines, the curved ends of the bait-hooks A, equilibrium of pressure and is easilyeffected opposing and pressing against each other, by the fish in three difierent ways'-first, by hold the grab-hooks B spread and under tena slight forward pull orjerk; second, by simsion. \Vhen this equilibrium is destroyed, ply clamping or biting, thus causing a move the two sets of hooks change position, as ment of bait-hooks along the forward slope of 5 shown by dotted lines. the twisted central piece 0, and, third, by a The details of construction and operation twist or shake, causing displacement of abutare as follows: ting ends.

Each bait-hook A is composed of a hook The hooks action depends on the tendency proper, which is formed on the end ofaspringof the. springs to free themselves from ten 0 40 steel rod or wire. Thus each two hooks of a sion when released. Following this tendency pair are formed of one integral and curved the external grab-hooks B simply approach spring-wire, the hooks proper being turned each other, moving through a curve, while outward orfrom each other. The grab-hooks the bait-hooks A project forward, preserving B are formed of a similar piece of springtheir terminaljuxtaposition at allpoints along 4 5 steeltermina'ting at each end in ahook proper. the line of motion, u nless one of them be forci The two hooks B are clamped firmly at D bly obstructed. The forcible obstruction of and pivoted loosely to the bait-hooks A at b. one, however, in its forward movement has 0 indicates a short, flattened, twisted, and no effect upon its mate, since each hook acts pointed piece of iron arranged horizontally independently of the other by the tension of I00 50 and symmetrically with relation to both sets its own spring.

of hooks A B. The dotted lines in Fig 1 represent the hook in the act of closing in on a fish. It is easy to see that when the abutting hooks are thrown on one side the corresponding hooks on the other side will be thrown at practically the same instant. The simultaneous action of both sides when only one side is disturbed is very advantageous in counteracting rebound of hook. The bait-hooks project forward into the mouth of the fish, thus doubly securing it. This forward movement of the bait-hooks A is a very important feature. The hook is easily tripped, and the rapidity of the action is very great.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An automatic spring fish-hook consisting of a pair of hooked and pointed ends restrained in unstable equilibrium in close juxtaposition to each other, and having a range of movement when disturbed by the fish directly outward and down the throat of the fish substantially as shown and described.

2. A11 automatic spring fish-hook consisting of two pairs of hooked and pointed ends connected by bow springs, each pair restrained in unstable equilibrium on opposite sides, and with an opposite thrust, and the two points of each pair having a range of movement when disturbed by the fish directly outward in opposite directions, one of the pairs thrusting directly into the mouth of the fish, and the other holding by its recoil the first pair up to its work and thus neutralizing reactionary movement, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. An automatic fish hook, comprising spring bait-hooks and spring grab-hooks whose shanks are pivoted together substantially as described, whereby the grab-hooks are held open or distended by abutment of the curved free ends of the bait-hooks as specified.

4. An automatic fish -hook comprising spring grab-hooks and bait-hooks whose shanks are pivoted together, one set'lying fiat upon the other, and a weight or sinker attached at the central point, substantially as specified.

5. An automatic fish-hook, comprising spring bait and grab hooks, the latter being rigidly connected at their central bends, and their shanks loosely pivoted to the bait-hooks and both sets of hooks being symmetrically arranged as shown and described, whereby when set the bait-hooks abut and hold the grab-hooks distended, and a cross-bar arranged to support the bait-hooks substantially as specified.

6. An automatic fish-hook, comprising two spring grab-hooks, which are connected at their central bends, and two spring baithooks, symmetrically arranged with relation to each other and the grab-hooks, whereby, when set, the hooks all lie in practically the same horizontal plane, the bait-hooks holding the grab-hooks distended, and their points projecting outward or in opposite directions, and the opposite points of the grab-hooks projecting inward toward each other, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES Y. PAYTON.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY L. PRICE, FRED R. DUNCAN. 

